A primary application of this invention is to house the output end of electric blowers used in the spa industry, in an acoustically silenced housing with essentially nonparallel interior walls. The essentially, nonparallel interior walls of the blower half-housing may have a geometry which is spherical or the zone of a sphere, cylindrical, conical or a frustum of a cone, or a combination of these geometries. Nonparallel walls as cited throughout this specification and claims are comprised of the above geometries. Blowers used in the spa industry for blowing air, rather than another fluid, are sometimes referred to as aerators. Throughout this specification, the term "blower" is meant to also include the nearly synonymous term "aerator". Other applications for this invention include, but are not limited to blowers used in, e.g., air purification systems and the blowers used in various other industries.
Throughout this specification and its claims, the terms: housing, half-housing, enclosure, casing, and cover are meant to be generally synonymous; and although the term half-housing will be used, that term is intended to also mean housing, enclosure, casing, or cover. This invention most particularly relates to a blower half-housing, which may be defined as a housing which covers or holds the output end of the blower motor.
This blower half-housing invention is frame independent and is easily disassembled for removal of the motor and maintenance of the housing or the motor. This blower half-housing may be mounted in-line. The term "in-line", as cited throughout this specification and claims, means that the fluid or air flow travels straight through the blower, so as not to obstruct the fluid or, e.g., air. Other blowers in the industry make a curved, deflected, or 90 degree turn, and thereby do not provide a smooth, clear, and laminar flow, without turbulence or obstructions which may have a variety of mechanical and acoustic disadvantages.
The electric blower housings used in the spa industry have the disadvantage of being noisy and the vibration and flutter from this noise resonates throughout much of the spa, causing annoyance and discomfort to those using the spa. Thus, there is a need and a demand for an acoustically silenced or noise minimized electric blower housing.
Another disadvantage of the electric blower housings used in the spa industry, is that they require considerable effort and time to retrieve or replace the motor. The present invention solves many of these industry problems and is a significant advancement in the technology of housing blowers, i.e., motors, and particularly those used in the spa industry.
In trying to solve these disadvantages or problems, and within the scope of this objective, it was surprising to find that the present invention need not be comprised of a highly complicated design or of advanced materials, and that it need not be expensive or difficult to manufacture.
The objectives and advantages of this invention are:
1) The blower half-housing is frame independent and may be mounted in-line, without being bolted or mounted directly to the framework of the spa, or an independent framework supporting the blower housing. Other blowers are: a) frame dependent (bolted or mounted directly to the frame of the spa or to an independent framework and the housing itself is a part of such framework, extending throughout the spa system) and will thereby transmit vibration and noise throughout the spa via the framework, or are b) in-line and buried underground and are thereby difficult to service. The frame dependent blowers frequently use foam inserts to dampen the sound within the housing, which indicates that the manufacturer's of these blowers do not intend for the internal housing geometry to be an adequate inhibitor of noise. The blower housings typically used, e.g., in the spa industry, are made from such materials as metal or plastic, which tend to resonate and may tend to amplify acoustical noise. PA1 2) The blower half-housing is structured so that one fastening member, e.g., a hose clamp, mounts the one-piece blower half-housing to the output fluid or air passageway, duct system, plumbing, tubing, or flow piping. The essentially synonymous terms: passageway, duct system, plumbing, tubing, and flow piping, is hereinafter referred to as "flow piping". PA1 3) The blower half-housing is structured so that one fastening member, e.g., a hose clamp, mounts the one-piece blower half-housing to the cylindrical portion of the blower motor, such that the half-housing covers the output end of the blower motor. This use of one fastening member to hold the blower half-housing to the blower motor allows for easy mounting, assembly, and servicing of the blower motor. PA1 4) The blower half-housing is air sealed, i.e., air tightly sealed, by means of fastening members, such as hose clamps. The air seal includes a fastening member sealing the opening provided for the electrical connection cord and for strain relief of the electrical connection cord. The output (or exhaust) opening are also each air sealed with a fastening members, such as a hose clamp. The blower half-housing is held in place and around the blower motor in an air sealed manner, through the use of another fastening member, such as a hose clamp. These fastening members prevent air escape or leakage at any orifice other than the intended air intake and output openings. PA1 5) A preferred embodiment of the blower half-housing is constructed of neoprene (60/70 Shore) for noise insulation and for acoustically silencing the blower. The use of this elastomeric or polymeric material, such as neoprene 60/70 Shore, has the effect of further dampening the vibration and noise of the blower system, due to this material's elastomeric and porous material nature and its consequent sound absorbing qualities. The blower housings typically used in the spa industry are constructed of parallel metal or plastic walls. The present blower half-housing invention, however, utilizes its in-line positioning and the nonparallel interior walls of the half-housing to minimize acoustical waves emanating through the flow piping and to minimize the noise from the vibration and flutter from the motor. This means of reduction in the acoustical noise, vibration, and flutter, in the present invention does not create a reduction in the flow rate or function of the blower or the blower motor. PA1 6) The blower half-housing may be removed, for servicing of the motor, by the unfastening of the fastening member around the portion of the half-housing covering the cylindrical portion of the blower motor. When a hose clamp is used as the fastening member, the blower half-housing may be opened for servicing of the motor, by the loosening of the hose clamp's one screw, rather than the numerous screws that are typically used to fasten other blower housings used in the spa industry. PA1 7) The air flow (when the blower is, e.g., used in the spa industry, and used to blow air, rather than another fluid) is through a direct path and not through a curved, 90-degree, L-shaped, deflected, or "broken-off" path, as is commonly found in blowers used in the spa industry. This direct air flow path has mechanical as well as acoustical advantages over the less efficient, indirect or nonlaminar flow paths for the fluid or air. PA1 8) The blower half-housing is compact, but may efficiently accommodate a larger sized (or larger horsepower) motor, simply by having more of the larger motor protruding from the intake end of the half-housing. PA1 9) The blower half-housing is not only directed to an improved blower housing with a reduced noise level and the various advantages listed above, but to its improved efficiency. This efficiency being a result of, e.g., the simple and economical manner in which the blower half-housing may be constructed, assembled and serviced, and to the fact that it is connected in-line with the flow piping and does not cause the flow of the fluid, e.g., air, to make a curved, 90 degree, L-shaped, deflected, or "broken off" path. This connection of the blower in-line with the flow path is not only an improved engineering design for the efficiency of the system and the work load on the blower motor, but is also significant in that there is a further noise reduction in the present invention due to this in-line flow, because the noise due to the essentially laminar air flow is significantly less than that found in other blowers where the flow is not as direct and smooth and may have considerable turbulence, and consequently, additional noise and vibration.